A portable information device having a lightweight and compact design in consideration of portability often has limited functions. For example, a notebook personal computer (laptop PC) typically has limited functions in order to reduce the weight. Thus, there are limitations in increasing the size and, performance of a cooling function of reducing heat generation from a processor or other devices mounted on a laptop PC and serving as an internal heating body of the laptop PC.
One solution is to provide a cooling device having a heat sink thermally connected to a heat sink exposed at the bottom surface of a laptop PC when the laptop PC is mounted on and connected to the cooling device in order to enhance a cooling function of the laptop PC. With this configuration, the laptop PC is provided with a cover having a mesh-like air vent in the bottom surface thereof serving as a mount surface to the cooling device, and the heat sink connected to a heating body is disposed inside the cover. The cooling device includes a heat sink in the shape of a pin support connected to the heat sink through the mesh-like air vent in the bottom surface of the laptop PC.
Basically, the heat sinks of the laptop PC and the cooling device have pin support shapes to increase a contact surface area therebetween in order to provide a sufficient heat transfer area. However, since the mesh-like cover member is provided at the bottom surface of the laptop PC, the cover member is interposed between the heat sinks of the laptop PC and the cooling device even when these heat sinks are connected to each other. This causes the problem of obtaining sufficient heat transfer efficiency. In addition, when the heat sink is exposed at the bottom surface of the laptop PC, external appearance degrades and the heat sink, which is a heating part, is exposed to the outside.
Consequently, it would be desirable to provide an improved cooling device for cooling a portable information device such as a laptop PC.